Post Production: Sound Cut

Over the past few days I have been preparing a sound cut of the film, what has included finding sync dialogue sounds, implemented new recordings such as voice-overs, atmos and spot FX, as well as using sound design creatively to add tension and suspense to several scenes.

Matching the sounds and dialogue has been by far the most difficult and time consuming part of the project due to us not continuing to label shots and takes after the first two days of production. Our sound recordist Chelsie did provide me with the sounds labelled as accurately as possible, but this was mainly just of what we could hear in the dialogue of the scene, so I had to match sounds and clips up by ear - wasting a lot of time. This is the main area of our production method which I would look to improve on future projects.

To do this I came up with my own process, whereby I copied the clip from the rough cut and placed it against a marker in the timeline - then I dragged out the clip to its beginning until I found the matching audio clip. Then I grouped them together, trimmed it back down the marker and inserted the audio clip under the original clip in the edit.

Another huge challenge with the sync sound we had recorded was the difference in the quality of the sound between cuts, which is at times jarring. For example, in the shot/reverse shot sequence of the second scene, where Ed and Laurence are talking to each other, the recording sounds more bassy in one recording, and much clearer and higher frequency in the other.

For the most part this wasn't fixable with EQ so I tried to keep the atmos track as consistent as possible instead. However, this was also difficult, particularly with the scenes by the stream in Grindleford as our proximity to the sound source changed a lot.

In addition, most of the sound recordings were very quiet, to the point where the camera recordings were at least 2-3x the volume. As a result I had to apply large amounts of gain to every clip and to the master bus itself, around 12-18db, which also increased the background hiss and made it even more difficult to balance. In future productions I will make sure to review sound levels both during production and after each day to ensure that they are at adequate levels, in order to prevent this issue again.

For the opening of the film I used many different elements of sound design to build tension and suspense. Whilst the screen is black I wanted the sound to mimic what Laurence would be experiencing at that time, so I recorded myself breathing and also a dripping tap to give a sense of the space. I also wanted to create a more dramatic whoosh sound when the bag is pulled from the character's head, so I experimented with recording the sound of different fabrics being pulled across the microphone, which worked well.

I used a number of other atmospheric sounds during this opening sequence, such as low rumbles and bassy tones to create a sense of foreboding. These were useful at multiple times throughout the rest of the film to instantly create a tense atmosphere, such as when the villain is watching them on TV and when Laurence disappears. 

During production we were aware that we would have to alter the voice of the interrogator to sound more robotic and intimidating, so consciously avoided overlapping dialogue. To create this effect in the edit was simply a case of splitting the audio clips for the interrogator's lines and shifting the pitch down a third. 

Changing pitch

For the TV audio in the second scene, I dropped all of the low and mid-range frequencies to create the effect of it coming from the TV. This was maintained throughout the scene until Laurence has the idea of creating the video, where I did the opposite - dropping the highs and leaving only muffled low frequencies to convey the change in his thoughts.

Boosting high frequencies

Cutting high frequencies

For the scene in Grindleford where we see Ed walk through the forest in the gorilla suit, I added sounds of grunting, wheezing and footsteps on leaves which we recorded at the time of production,

To emulate the low-quality sound of the video camera I cut the low frequencies, and in the following news reporter scene cut both the low and high frequencies to give the effect of TV playback. I also edited, stretched and compressed the voice-over we have recorded for the news reporter to fit the picture cut.

EQing the reporter's voiceover

As mentioned, for the villain scene I reintroduced the low rumble for tension, but also added another subtle, high-pitched motif. I then played this sound again when we see the interrogator's POV of Laurence and Ed in the woods, providing an audio cue to suggest the villain's presence.

To create a sense of panic and alarm when Ed finds Laurence missing, I dropped out the atmos of the stream and introduced a disturbing, high-pitched sound. As he shouts 'Laurence!', I added slight delay to his voice to create an echoing effect suitable for a large open space. I used a similar effect to create a megaphone effect when Laurence shouts earlier, also adding distortion and a preset 'Phone line' effect' to achieve it.

Megaphone effect

The interrogation scene required by far the most audio work in the entire film, combining effects, spot FX and dubbed voice-over. After applying the effects to the interrogators voice and adding atmos tracks for tension, I also had to implement the interrogator's mother's voice, his walk upstairs, and their arguing off-screen - all being recorded after production. 

To get the exchange between the mother and the interrogator, I scripted and recorded an argument between me and someone else, making sure it was consistent and lasted long enough to complete the scene. After spending a lot of time on the sound work for this part of the scene, I managed to fit all the audio and information in without having to adjust the picture cut. 

To create the effect of his mother shouting from off-screen and upstairs, I panned the sound to one side, reduced the volume, added slight reverb and dropped the high frequencies. 

My main aim was for the sounds to come in sequence logically to match the images and most importantly the lighting change. Firstly, the mum shouting downstairs, then the interrogator's response and leaving, then the spot FX of walking up the basement stairs, the door slamming and then the muffled continuation of the argument off-screen.

As Laurence leaves the house the argument is indicated to be still audible, to which I reversed the effect of the EQ - cutting low frequencies and panning as the camera turns away from the house to give the effect of that as its source. Finally, the sounds of Laurence speaking on the phone and his footsteps were both dubbed, and I used EQ and a volume envelope to match his movement away from the camera.

Although our oversights in production have vastly increased the amount of time I have needed to spend on the sound cut for the film, I am pleased with the overall result. I am most happy with the additional elements of sound design in some scenes, which work to immediately establish a mood and tension, and the complex sound work on the final scene works well overall. 

Now that this cut is ready to present to my group and peers, I will receive feedback from them before moving on to re-drafting the film and applying colour correction next week.